Naruto- The Senju's Legacy
by JiraiyaTheGallant
Summary: In a twist of fate, Minato ends up having a son with Tsunade and not Kushina. Naruto Namikaze-Senju is now five years older and much stronger than his counterpart. How will this impact the destiny of Konoha? Itachi Uchiha? Hiruzen Sarutobi? Tsunade herself? Strong!Naruto. Smart!Naruto.
1. Chapter 1- Naruto Namikaze

AN: Jiraiya here with the first chapter of my new fanfic. All the basics are in the summary, leaving little else to be said without ruining the beginning. Don't forget to leave a review before you go!

"Person speaking"

_'Person thinking'_

**"Demon speaking"**

_**'Demon thinking'**_

**Jutsu**

Hope you all enjoy the story!

**Chapter 1- Naruto Namikaze**

* * *

Naruto Namikaze was a mischievous little kid. At the age of five, which he was now, he had accomplished his goal of giving as many problems as possible to his parents. His dad, the current Hokage, could have cared less about the craziness of his kid, assuming that Kushina Uzumaki, the godmother, had rubbed off on the little boy. Minato would just sweat drop and leave poor Naruto to face his mother's wrath.

Some scary ass wrath she had...

Yup, the large chested blond woman certainly had a mildly insane temper and the weirdest punishments. Being a world renown medic-nin, Tsunade Senju would subject her son to long study sessions on simple human anatomy. Recently, she had begun grueling chakra control punishments that would make Naruto, with all his large reserves, nearly pass out. Of course, she'd never let him get chakra exhaustion, that was far too dangerous.

Still, she completely loved her son and her husband. The wedding was punctuated by a comically crying Jiraiya, upset that his student beat him to Tsunade's affection. He couldn't even believe that the two gotten together. Not only was it an unlikely meeting between the two, but it had ended up as far more than just a relationship. And he thought Minato loved Kushina. Man, he just didn't get women, did he, even though he was a self-proclaimed 'super pervert.'

It had been two years since the end of the Third Shinobi War, a hard time to keep together a family. If anything, the unusual couple was brought even closer through their actions to keep the village safe. That was the rare thing that the had in common. For Tsunade, it was to pay tribute to Dan and Nawaki. For Minato, it was because of his undying love for the village.

Together, the two, with help from Kushina, Mikoto, and a few of his other friends, Minato kept Naruto healthy and safe at home. Thankfully, he wasn't left an orphan after the war.

So where does this leave us?

It was late at night, Naruto should have been asleep. Though it wasn't as if he was in harm's way, there were always ANBU guarding the Hokage's son, his parents still prefered him to be asleep. Yeah, Tsunade would get really worried, and Minato would be forced to spend a few hours calming down her temper only for the woman to ditch the family and go gamble. What was Naruto using this night for? Well, with his mom working late at the hospital (gambling in a bar) and his father on 'Hokage business' Naruto had time to set up a few pranks.

He currently was hiding a water balloon filled with paint on his parents' bedroom door. It took a chair and a few minutes, but he got the task done. Now to leave before his father got home from work.

The blond, spiky-haired kid snuck out of the room, careful not to jostle the door. In the background, an ANBU sighed, knowing what would happen. Naruto stepped back into the hallway, only to hit a man with an _umpf_._  
_

"What are you doing over here, Naruto-kun?" Wide eyes, the boy turned his deep blue eyes on his father.

"N-n-nothing! I-I was just... Don't tell Mom!"

"What did you do this time?" he sighed, signalling his ANBU that they should give the two a little space.

"Just a, uhh, prank. Oi, Dad, where were you anyways?"

"Hmm? Oh, just helping Kushina with some personal buisness.

"She found a nice man, not that you'd know what I'm saying yet." The new Hokage rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, feeling slightly stupid for almost telling his five-year-old son where babies come from. Kushina, the jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi, needed some help setting up seals to keep the Kyuubi from eacaping and any intruder from getting in. It was confidential, top secret, but he thought it best if a few ANBU were stationed there to help.

Even with all of that said, he was still worried for one of his best friends. What if Kyuubi did get out? The ANBU assured him it was alright, but he was a worrier.

About Kushina, she was set to marry a nice civilian man, Hideaki, the next day, something Minato did tell his curious son. Naruto always wanted to know more, be it about his godparents, Jiriaya and Kushina, or the position of the Hokage. Honestly, not many took the time to give the boy his answers.

Minato stopped pondering about the events that night, and decided to put his son to sleep. "Alright son, your mother would be mad if you're still awake when she gets home. Let's go," he said, hoisting Naruto onto his shoulders. Minato began navigating the Hokage mansion, when he felt something.

A wave of pure evil seemed to wash over the village. _'Oh kami save us. Is that what I think it is?'_

"MINATO-SAMA!" One of the ANBU shouted, pointing to the window. A giant orange-red fox was over the horizon, towering over Konoha, leaving destruction in its wake. _'Is Kushina alright? The seals should have held so... NO! Someone got in the room!'_

"Take my son to his room, I have to take care of this," he said.

"Hai!" Replied an ANBU, grabbing Naruto from his father's shoulders and taking the boy to his room.

"And someone get Tsunade-chan, we might need her help." Another ANBU took off, searching for the medic nin. "Everyone else, organize some people to hold against the Kyuubi. Find Hiruzen too."

The ANBU all took off, setting out to save Konoha.

He nodded at the empty space, flashing to his room with a **hiraishin** to grab his cloak. He slipped on his cloak and gloves, then he knew that he had limited time. Each second he waited, any number of civilians or his friends could have died.

Ready to save everyone, he disappeared with a flash, ending up on his head of the Hokage Monument.

"Yondaime-sama is here!"

"We're saved!"

The Kyuubi noticed his arrival as well, turning its head to the man. Minato's eyes widened as a huge density of chakra was gathering at the beast's mouth. _'I can't let that hit the village!'_ The ball gathered mass, red and blue condensing into a huge black sphere the diameter of a person. The fox set its blood red eyes on Minato as it shot the **bijuudama.**

The blond grabbed a kunai from his pocket, quickly making a few hand seals. He held out the kunai with both hands as the **bijuudama **came closer. **_'Jikūkan__ Kekkai!' _**He thought as a seal matrix enveloped the ball of condensed chakra.

He disappeared with the destructive technique, landing in a small clearing. The ball crashed through half a mile of trees before exploding in a huge sphere of white and yellow light. _'Phew. That was a close one,'_ he thought, squatting on a tree.

He was about ready to **hiraishin** to Kushina, but he felt a presence behind him.

Grabbing his kunai tighter, he swung his arm back at the intruder. He twisted his head and saw a black-cloaked man in a white, spiral mask. Just when he thought he killed the man, Minato's kunai went _through _his head.

With a clapping sound, the man grabbed Minato's arm. A vortex began to suck the Hokage in, much to his horror. Then, the Yondaime flashed away, landing ten feet from the man.

"Well, well. You are as fast as the rumors say," the masked nin said, clapping.

"Is Kushina alright? What happened to her son?" Minato glared at Obito, scared for his friend.

"That's irrelevant. You cannot stop my plans." The blond widened his eyes. Why would he release the Kyuubi? What could he accomplish other than death or destruction?

"What do you want?"

"Oh, I want peace. I released the Kyuubi on both a whim and a goal." Minato realized that the man was looking at him through the mask, a red eye staring at him from one eye-hole. _'An Uchiha? What's going on?'_

"You summoned the Kyuubi?"

"Yes."

"There's only one man I know with that power. You are Madara Uchiha?" This was not an opponent to be trifled with. If he could get past the ANBU and rip apart his seals, he had to be at least high A-rank. Truly, if the man was Madara, he would have problems in a long fight.

"I am no one important. Names are pointless in this false reality." _'What on earth does he mean?'_

Minato knew he needed to finish off the man if he ever wanted to seal the Kyuubi and save Kushina. He charged, using his raw speed to get close to the man. When he reached the masked man, he threw a punch at his right arm. A master of his speed, Minato knew the punch was unavoidable for the man. He was startled when, once again, his fist phased through the man's arm. He tried to follow it up with a kick, an uppercut, another punch.

None of them hit. After a cross punch through the man's right side, he felt a solid fist slam him in the side, sending the Hokage skidding back. _'so he needs to materialize to hit me? I can end this.'_

He threw a three pronged kunai then charged the man again. Forming a **rasengan** in hand, Minato flew closer to his opponent. 'Madara' readied a punch, knowing that he could just grab Minato's arm and he'd win.

Time slowed, the kunai phasing through Obito. Minato glared at Obito as the masked nin's hand reached closer to his arm. Just as Obito was about the grasp it, Minato dissappeared.

_'SHIT!' _Minato was above him, **rasengan** aimed at his face. He twisted his arm into Obito's shoulder, smashing him into the ground. He formed a crater, dust kicking up. His left arm was now just a gooey mess as he stood up and smirked under his mask.

"To hit me is an impressive feat, Minat-" He gasped as the yellow flash appeared before him, slamming his palm in Obito's chest. _'A contract seal?'_

"With this, the Kyuubi is no longer yours," Minato stated, readying another Kunai for an attack. As he was about to going in for the kill, the vortex appeared around the man.

"There are many ways to conquer the world. It seems that now is not the time." Before Minato could ask what he meant, the man was no more than air. It looks like his job was done, minus the Kyuubi. Wait! Kushina! He needed to see if she and the baby were alright, Hiruzen could handle the Kyuubi for now.

He flashed to the formula he placed on Kushina. She was tied, hands and feet stretched like a medieval torture method. Symbols and seal formulas coated her arms and black ink dripped from her stomach. Despite all this, the blood leaking from her lips or pain racking her body, the redhead had a small smile playing on her lips.

"Minato."

"Kushina-chan! Are Arashi and Hideaki alright?" He needed to know that he didn't fail them by leaving. Maybe if he stayed, he could have stopped Madara. He could have kept his friend safe.

"They're... fine... Minato," she coughed blood after the last one. Minato rushed to her and freed her from the chains that held her to the rock. "Don't... make a habit of... saving me," she joked, coughing again.

"We need to seal the Kyuubi. Hold on, I'm taking you to my room so you can be safe." He grabbed her and flashed to his room, missing the balloon at the door. He placed her on the bed and turned to leave.

"Wait... I'm dying... Minato... Let me help you seal the Kyuubi in Arashi..." She pleaded this, looking at Minato with her love for Arashi in her eyes. Hideaki may have been safe, but she was dying. This was her last request.

"We will seal it in Naruto-kun. I can't use someone else's child. You know that I will die sealing it... I can't make anyone live the life of a jinhuuriki except my own son. I believe in him, Kushina. Jiraiya-sensei thinks he can bring peace."

"Fine... Minato... Thank you... for saving Arashi from that life... I can hold down the Kyuubi with the last of my chakra,"

"I'll be back," he said, leaving to hold down the Kyuubi.

* * *

Minato was on top of a building before he could talk longer. He had tears for his former crush and now best friend. She always was so positive and hopeful, which just made his drive to fend off the Kyuubi even greater.

"Hiruzen!" He exclaimed, running to his predecessor. The old man was using his elongated adamantine staff to push the Kyuubi back. Only the outskirts of the village had ben destroyed, to Minato's relief.

"Minato-kun! Can you teleport the fox away? I can't hold this for much longer," the Sandaime grunted, sweat dripping off his face.

"I can't, I don't have much chakra left after the space-time barrier. I'm sealing it in Naruto-kun." A blond woman with two pigtails suddenly was by their side. Her face had markings that covered her face in an elaborate matrix. Tsunade was using every last bit of her chakra to heal those who were injured, a number that ranged in the thousands.

"Minato-kun!" She exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him. Then she slapped him so hard he fell sideways. "What are you thinking! Making me worry so much and now using Naruto to seal the Kyuubi! I can't lose another one, Minato."

"Tsunade-chan, it's alright. I would give my life to keep you and Naruto safe ten times over. I have to do this to protect my village."

"I can't lose you," she murmured, head in his shoulders. She wiped her tears away but hugged him harder.

"Hiruzen. Protect them please, I need to erect a barrier around the Kyuubi." The two kages had a short moment of understanding. Hiruzen would have done anything for his students, just how Minato would have done anything for his wife and son. Tsunade did not have that understanding, but she knew that people would live to protect this villages as long as it stood. She just wished she had the courage to be like her husband, able to sacrifice anything to protect the majority.

"Of course, Minato-kun," replied the old man, giving the two a smirk.

Tsunade hit him lightly on the shoulder, an unusual smirk on her face. "I really hate you for doing this... I'll keep him safe, no matter what."

Minato turned to go after the Kyuubi, giving his wife a parting kiss. Much of their pain was left unspoken, not much could be said in the middle of this destruction. While Minato had a city to protect, Tsunade had a city to heal. He ran, jumping over rooftops, directly towards the raging beast. It was no longer controlled by Obito, not that it helped at all with controlling the destruction. Minato finally arrived just outside of Konoha, where the Kyuubi was finally pushed back to.

The fox looked up to the heavens, gathering chakra in its mouth. _'I can't let it use that technique again!'_ he declared to himself. Biting his finger, he smeared the blood on his and made hand signs. **"Kuchiyose no jutsu!"** A huge puff of smoke slammed the bijuu's head into the ground.

"Bunta, can you hold him down," he commanded, not as a question.

"The Kyuubi? Really Minato? Fine," grunted the giant boss toad in the middle of puffs of smoke. Minato needed to get Naruto and Kushina. But first, he had to put up a barrier, be it however weak. He tossed four normal kunai, each with the formula for the barrier and formed the ram seal, making purple chakra-like substance envelope the Kyuubi. Now it was cut off from the village.

"I'll be right back Bunta," he said, grinning sheepishly at the struggling toad. Bunta did not sign on for this level craziness when he agreed for Jiraiya's little student to be his next summoner.

He flashed to his room where he saw Kushina looking like a ghost. "It's time?" she asked. After receiving a nod she stood up and stumbled to Minato, her arms wrapped around his shoulders. She still liked him a bit too much for friends, but that was over.

Quicker than you could count to two, he was back inside the barrier. He laid the redhead down and commanded her, "help out Bunta if he can't hold the Kyuubi."

"Alright... Minato-kun," she smiled. He stared at the space were he was as he went directly to Naruto's room. He found the boy, huddled in a ball on his bed. It was like the kid saw a demon, even though it was just the chakra.

"W-what is that, Dad?"

"Its alright, Naruto-kun. You trust me right?" He was met with a swift nod. "I'm going to seal some evil chakra inside you." Naruto opened his mouth, then closed it. It took a few moments to figure out how to reply to that blunt statement.

"T-that chakra attacking the village?" Minato almost had surprise that his son was able to understand so much about something he couldn't see, but then again, the kid was a genius. "Why me?"

"It's the only way to stop it. Besides, you're a young Senju, and the strong chakra will counterbalance the demonic chakra with my seal. Got it?" He honestly didn't expect Naruto to comprehend that, only to be compliant with the older blond.

"T-that makes sense. I'll do whatever you ask, -ttebayo!" Damn his godmother for her verbal tick. He reached onto the bed and grabbed the soon to be jinchuuriki's hand then flashed back to the Kyuubi.

To his surprise, it was now held in place by large chains of chakra sticking from Kushina's back. Bunta was also putting in some work, but he somehow got a scratch on his eye. Whatever happened, no one close to him died before he could seal away the Kyuubi. That was priority one.

"Kushina keep holding him down, I'm going to make the seal matrix first. Naruto stay perfectly still, alright."

"Yeah, yeah, Dad. I'm not always hyper ya' know!" He exclaimed, trying to cheer up his overly serious father.

Minato slammed his hands on the ground and bunch of symbols extended out, circling the ground near Naruto. The boy sat in a lotus positions, knuckles pressed together, completely motionless. With the knowledge that he couldn't seal all of the Kyuubi in an already-aged child, he made nine hand seals and clapped his hands together. **"Shiki Fūjin!"** (Dead Demon Consuming Seal)

A spectral figured appeared behind him, sword in its mouth and beads in its left hand. The figure was ghostly, three times the hight of the Hokage, and radiated death and decay. That was the Shinigami.

"Seal half in me," he told the figure. Within seconds, the figure shot a hand at the Kyuubi and pulled out a blew mass of chakra. It flew into Minato and burned a complex seal into his skin. The man stumbled for a second, but he was now on the clock. He had mere minutes before he soul was sealed away in the Shinigami's belly.

The Kyuubi figured out what they were doing. **"I will not be sealed!"** As it exclaimed this, a huge claw broke the confines of the chains and shot towards the motionless boy. Naruto didn't even see it coming.

Blood splattered everywhere.

Minato felt a pain, emptiness where his stomach should be. He hands were clasped tightly on the giant claw, and he noticed Kushina was behind him doing the same. Naruto was safe, he could breathe a sigh of releif.

He turned to the boy and smiled. "Naruto, remember to listen to you mother. I will always be with you in your heart. Just remember, whatever you do, you've already made me proud. Protect Konoha, my son," he said. Naruto started crying. No matter how tough of a kid he was, his dad was dying, and he was sitting there, doing nothing! He felt like a useless kid, which he was.

"Heh, yeah," the redhead Uzumaki added between coughs, "I know I should be there... as your godmother... but things... don't always work out... as they should. Please. Please... keep Arashi Uzumaki safe." She felt her life slipping away as she finished the conversation.

"Goodbye, Naruto. **Hakke no Fūin Shiki,"** (Eight Trigrams Sealing Style) he muttered, placing his hand on the ground.

**"Damn you!" **The Bijuu roared as he was pulled into Naruto. The huge mass of red chakra crashed into the unprepared boy, overflowing his mind with pain. As the seal burnt its way on his stomach, the pain became too much and he felt himself drift into unconciousness.

"Kushina-chan," he turned to the dying woman, as his soul was about to be taken away. "I'm sorry I couldn't return your love..."

"Me too... Minato-kun..." she died with a smile on her face. Minato's soul was ripped out, leaving three bodies on the ground, two of them dead.

With Minato dead, the Sandaime Hokage, burst through the dissolving barrier with his student Tsunade. "He really did it," the former Kage muttered in disbelief. "Naruto-kun!" he exclaimed when he saw the slowly breathing body. "Tsunade-chan, we need to help Minato-kun. Tsunade!"

She was staring her bloody husband, so shocked that not even tears could form yet. How. How could he leave her too? The world was dark, muffled by her guilt and suffering. Shouts in the distance, Hiruzen's, were whispers just outside of her grasp. _'I-I couldn't save him either. Is Sensei saying something?'_

"TSUNADE! SNAP OUT OF IT!" She looked at the old man, large mouth motions only amounting to mumbles. _'Naruto-kun. Is he dead too?' _she thought, looking at the knocked out jinchuuriki.

_'No. NO! He's alive, I need to save him! I can't let him die too! Nawaki, Dan, Minato... I will not fail you too Naruto-kun!'_ She ignored the old sensei, running to the blond. She kneeled, hands glowing green as she ran a diagnostic jutsu. She was a world renown medic, she could fix this. A few minutes went on with her putting all of the chakra she had left into the healing jutsu, being careful to not die of exhaustion herself.

After, she placed her head above his body, and tears ran onto the kid's ruined t-shirt. "Please be safe. Please be okay."

* * *

**AN:** Thank you for reading chapter 1. Off the record, Naruto will grow up in Konoha, becoming best friends with a certain patriotic, expressionless Uchiha. As to who that is, well he's five years older than Arashi, same age as Naruto. Yes, the Kyuubi attack happened on the same year on October tenth, just for nostalgia purposes. How Minato and Tsunade got together will be elaborated on a bit more in the future

Thanks for reading again, and don't forget to review on whether you liked it or not.

Jiraiya out!


	2. Chapter 2- The Power of Sacrifice

**AN:** Alright, Jiraiya back again. Absolutely no one reviewed last chapter, well not really, but I was still pretty upset. How can I know why you didn't fav (or did) if you don't tell me? Anyways, I hope you guys like this chap.

"Person speaking"

_'Person thinking'_

**"Demon speaking"**

_**'Demon thinking'**_

**Jutsu**

**Chapter 2- The Power of Sacrifice**

* * *

Tsunade was at odds with herself. On one hand, she couldn't have been prouder of her husband for his valiant effort. On the other, he was _dead _and her son was in a _hospital_. Why all of this? Because Minato, being the pansy he was, couldn't stomach subjecting another family's child to the life of a jinchuuriki. Then again, it was cruel. They both knew the world was cruel, and only one of them sought to take Konhoa on a path different than the other villages.

So why was it that leaving Naruto fatherless wasn't cruel? For Tsunade, it was. Even Naruto would understand faster than her why Minato had to go and get himself sacrificed. Maybe that's what he does. If she was a savior of the injured, then he was the savior of the healthy. He'd kill a platoon of Iwa shinobi to keep Konoha genin's hands clean. Tsunade would wait until the genin are cut down then run in and save a fourth of them.

She had justification to feel bad. With the thought that she deserved to die and Minato should have lived, she almost relapsed to drinking and gambling each night. Shizune helped her think about Naruto, saving her from anything getting worse. The blond boy had been out cold for two days now, but she knew he'd wake up within the day.

Day in and day out, she sat by his bed, brought in takeout to eat, and even tended got the medic nins to sneak a bit of sake past Shizune. What her assistant didn't know wouldn't hurt her. The title of legendary Sannin had its benefits.

Speaking of Sannin, Jiraiya had come to see if the two were alright. Even if it was only for a half a day, she felt comforted by an old friend enduring similar pain to her. She had just had that pain for longer. That conversation had helped her through her trouble times, even preventing her from considering to leave the village with Naruto.

**Flashback**

_"Minato-gaki was definitely on the right path, eh Tsunade-chan?" Jiraiya asked, nudging her in the shoulder. He was squatting in the window, his teammate in a chair a foot away from him. Tsunade didn't respond, eyes solely focused on Naruto while she placed a sushi roll in her mouth. "Look, would Naruto want you to sit here and let yourself cry your eyes out each day. He's going to live, you know that."_

_"I can't do it," she turned her head towards him, finality in her voice._

_"Do what?" Jiraiya's tone grew less consoling and more worried. He knew she had it bad, but the stress of being a field medic nin for twenty years had to take its toll. She had seen things he didn't want to remember._

_"Raise Naruto. I'm not responsible enough."_

_"Sure you are. A drunk, sometimes. A gambler? sure. Irresponsible, not as I remember you. Just a bit misguided, but that builds character. Maybe the kid will learn something from you not being perfect. He loves you, you know that. At least you'd be better at raising a kid than me, with all those medic thingys in your head."_

_"Thingys? Anyone would be a better parent than you, ya big fat pervert!" Unlike normal, this was not punctuated by a chakra-powered punch or painful slap. She was just going along with her teammates attempt to lighten the mood._

_"Ehh ya. I'll be damned if you don't let me give Naruto the toad contract. You know he can't be a medic nin anymore with the Kyuubi sealed inside him."_

_"Yeah, but if you teach him anything about your twisted view of women, I swear you will not walk the same again." Jiraiya quivered internally at the thought. "How'd you hear about that already?" she added._

_"Oh, you know. Sources." He rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish grin._

_"I hope they don't treat Naruto any different."_

_"Heh, I doubt they would, considering his father saved all their asses. Hey, Tsunade. Now that Minato isn't here any more, I think Naruto is going to be the one who brings the peace I've looked for. He's a great kid." He pulled out his first book, The Tale of an Utterly Gutsy Shinobi, and tossed it to Tsunade. The protagonist, Naruto, sought justice for a shinobi mercenary group who attacked his village, only to give them a second change and end the cycle of hatred._

_Tsunade caught it and placed it on the table beside Naruto. "Heh, ya. When he's not pranking or getting into trouble. You know..." she started to stumble a bit over her words, tears threatening to come back, "Naruto was going to have a water balloon full of paint fall on Minato-kun's face when he walked in the room..."_

_"It's alright, Tsunade-chan. If I have to console you here, there's definitely something wrong." He chuckled quietly._

_"Fine, fine, its just that..."_

_"Don't even go there. You're like me when Orochi-teme left. You just got to be there when he needs you."_

_"Coming from you?" she snorted indignantly. "You've only been to three of his birthday parties. In fact, you've visited your student how many times since the war ended? Three, four? That spy business of yours is getting too infused with your bastardized research."_

_"My research is strictly for academic purposes! I'm insulted!" He cried out. Tsunade slapped him across the face, hard. He now had full streams of comical tears flowing from his eyes._

_"Thanks for coming, Jiraiya. You can always rely on an idiot to lighten the mood."_

_"You're welco- HEY! I'm not that dumb!"_

_"Who was the dead last again?" She returned, brining him back to the days of his youth where he was, dare anyone say it, more foolish._

_He started mumbling something, too quiet for Tsunade to hear._

_"I gotta go talk to Sensei, see ya later!" And he jumped back through the window, landing with a thump on the roof above Tsunade. This left the blond Senju with less conflicted emotions. She could still be a parent to Naruto. Maybe if she didn't focus on Minato's loss so much, she could keep both herself and Naruto happy._

**End Flashback**

Jiraiya was a man of short conversations, all of those who knew him were aware of that. He was more concerned about the spectacular entrance than the meaning of the talk, but Tsunade seemed to have felt something different from him. A concern for her general well being that helped her pull herself through the rest of the two days. Maybe she had misjudged the old pervert sometimes, he truly had good intentions.

She ruffled the small blond's hair with a smile. Hopefully everything would turn out alright.

"I wonder what you're thinking in that dense head of yours, Naruto-kun..."

* * *

**Pov- Naruto**

* * *

Naruto was ankel deep in water. Wait, what? How had water gotten there, he was just outside in the forest. He remembered his dad, oh kami, he remembered Minato's death. He brushed away tears, he was not a wimp. He'd be strong for his father, and prove to him that he was worthy to be the Yondaime's son.

What happened? The last he remembered, his dad had sealed some sort of giant fox in him, yet he felt no different.

He looked around, seeing steaming pipes and tinted red water. There was dripping off in the distance which sent ripples around the shallow water. It seemed like he was in a... boiler room? He couldn't be too sure.

With a sudden urge to explore, he set off down a tunnel. He couldn't see anything out of the ordinary for two minutes, but then the tunnel opened up into a larger room. The ceiling looked like it was made to contain something three times the size of the Hokage Monument. Controlling his confusion at what was going on, he walked into the huge empty space to search for something that could tell him where he was.

"Hello?" he called for good measure. Nothing but the drip of water answered.

As he got closer to the other side of the room, he could make out giant bars extending all the way to the top. A paper in the center of the gate/cage had the kani 'seal' written on it.

A slitted red eye opened from the blackness. He jumped back in shock before mustering the courage, he was foolishly brave, to see what was in there. Walking up to the bars, he tried to find what was in there. Once he got closer, a furry red face came into view. It was the fox from before, resting its face in its arms, slightly angered.

The fox, baring its sharp teeth, glared at Naruto. Then it chuckled deeply, a echoing noise. **"You dare disturb my rest?!"****  
**

"Hey! You killed my dad, you... you bastard!" Naruto exclaimed, pointed at the fox. Tears welled up in the young child's eyes. It was that stupid monster that made Minato sacrifice his life.

**"Hmph. Not my fault that someone died to seal me. Maybe if the idiot just left me to my fun..." **the Kyuubi finished with an evil smirk, cleverly alluding to destroying Konoha with its spare time. That asshole, Madara, had to go and ruin his rest. Konoha was a thorn in the beast's side.

"Baka fox!" Naruto cried, kicking the water.

**_'I can't believe they had the gall to seal me in a Senju. I hope Hashirama and his mokuton__ burn."_**The fox was annoyed, almost mad, after being sealed into some kid. Come to think of it, how did a kid older than a year or two survive the sealing? With his intense, vile chakra, no one other than an Uzumaki could do that, and this young kid wasn't. Something was fishy here.

"Who are you anyways?" Naruto asked, suddenly curious.

**"I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune, greatest of the bijuu!"** It roared, standing up and trying to flare its chakra and scare the boy. In contrast, Naruto just tilted his head sideways and looked at the multi-story tall bjuu.

"You don't seem that great, stuck in that cage and all."

**"..."**

"Where is here, if you're sealed in me?" he asked as he poked his stomach where his seal would be visible. Neither could see it under his black shirt though.

**"Your mind,"** the Kyuubi grunted. Naruto saw the nine tails of the best as it turned around, fading from view into the darkness. **"Don't disturb me unless you're dying."**

_'Wait, my mind's a sewer!' _thought Naruto indignantly. Suddenly, a huge gust of chakra pushed the boy out of his mindscape.

Gasping for air, Naruto shot up in his bed. Tsunade pulled her hand back from ruffling his hair, shocked. Then she gave him a warm smile and wrapped him in a hug.

"I was worried at first, Naruto-kun, but I knew you'd pull through."

Naruto embraced her tighter, relieved to be safe. "You think that stupid fox would keep me from coming home!" He smirked.

"Are you alright?" she questioned.

"Dad's dead," he replied in a solemn voice.

"I know," comforted his mother. "I know..."

* * *

Confined to the hospital for another day, by Tsunade no less, Naruto felt the time to be a grueling torture. He ate mostly takeout food, at least the food that his mother approved of. Despite both of them being upset, Tsunade told him that he'd begin the Academy in a week when it reopened. She claimed that Shizune and herself couldn't babysit every day, so he had to do something. She reminded him that he didn't have to graduate early, but he had this idea that he'd do anything to make Minato proud, the first becoming a shinobi.

Still, Tsunade wished that he'd have had more of a chance to be a kid. Now, two of his closest people were dead, and he'd been raised during a war. She failed him, however much she wished to deny it. At least he could become a great shinobi, that made her happy. She had hoped to get him training to be a medic nin someday, but right now Naruto had no chance to get the precise control with all of the Kyuubi's erratic chakra. Well, so she assumed.

The least she could do for the boy right now was get him an education while she worked at the hospital. Maybe he'd finally make some friends his age too...

After a day of being cooped up in the room, the nurse let Naruto leave to see the Hokage. Hiruzen Sarutobi was sworn in when Tsunade refused, and he was familiar with Naruto already. On more than one occasion, Naruto would bug the man to teach him jutsu. Sarutobi would just laugh and send the blond home, but not after teaching him shogi or practicing taijutsu. The new jinchuuriki was exited to see his surrogate grandfather, and Tsunade was happy to get out of the room and see her sensei again.

She stuck by his side for most of the three days, only making quick trips to restaurants and the Senju compound. She had to work on moving their stuff out of the Hokage mansion and to the compound since they were no longer members of the Hokage's family. It was a sobering reminder for the medic Sannin, but it was also the first step for her to get some closure. The rest would be helped with Hiruzen's speech in a day.

The two Senju, guarded by ANBU, made their way to the Hokage's office.

"Ah, Tsunade-chan, Naruto-kun, its nice to see you." The Sandaime was an old man with greying hair and a mole on his slightly wrinkly face. Once praised as a god of shinobi, he was still a formidable S-rank ninja even in his old age. He wore the Hokage robes and a white and red hat with the kanji for fire on it. Technically he wasn't sworn in yet, but everyone knew he was the next Hokage.

"Hey Sensei," replied Tsunade.

"Jiji!"

"Hello. Naruto, I'm sure your mother has explained to you what having the Kyuubi sealed in you means." The old man raised an expectant eyebrow to the pair of them.

Tsunade answered. "Err... Actually..."

Naruto's smile hadn't changed. Hiruzen supplied an answer, "I'll explain enough so nothing happens we might regret." The boy had a confused look. "Jinchuuriki means 'the power of human sacrifice' a term that Mito, your great grandmother came up with. They hold back the bijuu sealed within them. You must not try to draw on the chakra of the beast, or let anyone convince you to do so." '_Especially_ _Danzo_,' he thought. "It's dangerous. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, Jiji. I guess I get it."

The rest of the conversation was small talk. Naruto chose not to tell anyone about his meeting with the Kyuubi, thinking it wasn't too important and more private than essential information. Tsunade and Hiruzen then started talking about Minato, which Naruto didn't want to listen to. He couldn't bear to think about his dad more than he had to, though he was hoping that he'd be more comfortable talking about it in the future.

"Naruto, I'll see you at the funeral tomorrow. Use tonight to pack your things and move in to the Senju compound."

* * *

They spent the entire afternoon moving. Most of it was done without a single word, downcast looks filling the house. Shizune had taken to leaving them alone for a while and returned to her own house. The Senju compound felt too big. With only two people living there, the six house compound felt unnecessarily big. They shared the main house, a simple two floor western-style house with a good size kitchen and a large living room. Unfortunately, neither knew how to cook, so they ate their meals out.

Naruto felt sadder today than usual. Normally, he could brush it off and move on with the day, comforting his mother along the way. Now, though, even the heavens cried for Konoha's loss. One thousand people, four hundred of them civilians and children, had died that day, but that wasn't why the two Senju felt empty inside. Minato Namikaze was dead.

Dressed in black, the two slogged through the rain to the Hokage building. A crowd of hundred were already standing there. Everyone felt the rain pelt their face, mixing with silent tears for the lost Hokage many others. Naruto saw brown-haired man, Hideaki, holding a baby Arashi somewhere in the crowd. Hiruzen stood on the rooftop podium to address the group.

The Sandaime cleared his tears before speaking in a firm voice. "October tenth was a great loss. Hundreds of trusted shinobi died honoring the village, just as we now honor their sacrifice. Thanks to the valor of thousands and the skill one man, the Kyuubi's attack was prevented and thousands of women and children were saved. That man was my successor, my friend."

He continued, "Minato Namikaze may be dead, but his legacy lives on in his wife and his son. I am here today, not to accept my appointment as Hokage, but for a better purpose. I am here to tell you that the Kyuubi has been sealed away for the forseeable future, held back by Naruto Senju. Even if he and his father are the heroes of that fateful day, the efforts of every shinobi allows the village to live on. Those people gave their lives to protect the Will of Fire."

"In the light of the recent horrors, I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, will accept the position as Hokage to safeguard Konoha!"

* * *

**AN:** Yeah, I was running low on inspiration as the chapter drew to an end, so I chose to end it here and think a bit more about the rest of the week before Naruto joins the Academy. I hoped you liked the insight I put into Tsunade and Jiraiya's character. So much depression this chapter :( I can't wait till things cheer up so it doesn't have to be like this all the time.

Naruto will NOT have the CRA. Sorry Harem fans, I don't roll that way. I feel like I shouldn't had to have said that because the CRA doesn't exist in the first place, so its not like I'm changing that aspect of the story...

Please, please, please review to help me improve this.

Thanks for reading!

Jiraiya out...


End file.
